Electric range



April 1942- E. A. RUTENBER 2,279,064

' ELECTRIC RANGE Filed Jan. 12, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 4 23 /33 (4.5 46 7 j B 6 35 m (9 x INVENTOR. [OW/N ,4. EUTE'NBEE ATTORNEY.

April 7, 1942- E. A. RUTENBER 2,279,064

ELECTRIC RANGE Filed Jan. 12, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. [OW/N ,4. Hafiz N567? BY I 5 [,M if .74%.

I ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 7, 1942 ELECTRIC RANGE Edwin A. ltutenber, Greenville, Mich., assignor'to Gibson Electric Refrigerator Corporation, Greenville, Mich., a corporation ofMichigan Application January 12, 1940, Serial No. 313,493

3 Claims.

This invention relates to electric ranges, and more particularly to the construction and arrangement of the electrical and associated parts thereof.

' removed from the exterior of the range when the range is placed with the back thereof against a wall, thus obviating the necessity of moving and/or disassembling the range structure proper when making repairs or replacements. This object is attained, in part, by mounting all of the controls on a single control panel which is removably attachedto an upstanding splash panel at the rear of the range. The object is also attained, in part, by inclining the splash panel to facilitate insertion of the parts through an opening therein.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mounting for the controls which renders the latter plainly. visible from in front of and above the range.

Still another object is the provision of a novel arrangement of indicator lights which permits insertion or removal of the lights from a position in front of the range.

These and other objects will more fully appear in the specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevationalview of a range embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevational view of the range shown in Figure 1, parts being broken away and the oven door removed to more clearly show the construction of the range;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on substantially the line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Flgure'3 but showing the control panel detached from the range top and the thermostat bulb partly removed from the oven;

Figure 5 is a. bottom view of the range top illustrating the connections to the surface heating elements; and I Figure 6 is a pictorial view of a bracket used for mounting the oven thermostat bulb in the oven.

The range illustrated in the drawings includes an outer shell Ill. The shell is made up of a pair of end walls H and I2, a back wall l3, a front wall l4 including an oven door l5, and a top wall It. The back wall I3 is spaced a substantial distance forwardly of the rearmost portionof the range, thereby providing a hollow space I! at the rear thereof. At its upper edge the back wall I3 is provided with a forwardly projecting flange I8.

Adjacent the rear edge of the top wall It is an upwardly and rearwardly inclined splash panel 23. The top 24 of the splash panel is horizontal and the rear edge is flanged downwardly at 25. An elongated opening 23a is formed in the splash panel 23. A control panel 3| is removably secured to splash panel 23 in such a position as to close opening 23a.

Mounted upon the back of the control panel 3| are a plurality of controls 25, 21, 28, 29 and 30, which constitute all of the controls for the range. An operating shaft for each control extends through the panel and has associated with the outer end thereof a knob and dial assembly 32. Located in a small aperture in the control panel above each dial 32 is a translucent lens 33.

A strip 45 of fiber or other suitable insulating material is removably secured to the depending flange 25 at the rear of the splash panel 23. Light bulbs 45, one for each control, are suitably attached to the strip 45 directly in the rear of each lens 33. The light bulbs are wired to their re spective controls so that when any control is in its operative position, the light behind it will glow and indicate to the user which heating element is in operation.

' The range top is provided with a plurality of Figure 5-after they have been permanently secured to panel 3| but before the panel 3| has been installed in opening 23a. This is made possible by reason of the size of opening 23a and the inclination of splash panel 23.

With the connections 44 secured to the controls 21, 28, 29 and 30, while they are mounted on panel 3|, the free ends of connections 44 are inserted through opening 23a and under top wall IS a sufficient distance so that they can be grasped by a hand inserted through the surface burner openings. After that has been done, the free ends of the connections 44 can be readily attached to the burners I3, 20, 2| and 22, whereupon the burners can be seated in their respective openings in the range top It.

Within the outer shell I0 and behind the oven door I5 is an oven 34. A small opening 35 is formed in the upper rear corner of the oven for the insertion into the oven of a thermostat bulb. Opening 35 is substantially aligned with an opening 43 in flange l8 and opening 23a in splash panel 23.

Secured to the top wall of the oven 34 is a pair of angle brackets 36. The brackets are formed oven in any desired manner. The vertical leg II has a circular hole 38 therein and a V-shaped slot 40 communicating with the hole.

An el ngated thermostat bulb ll is mounted in the brackets 36 and extends through the holes I. therein. The diameter of the bulb II is approximately the same as the diameter of the holes 89, and is greater than the narrowest dimension of the slot 40. The bulb is connected by means of a thin copper'tube l! to the oven control 26, the tube passing through the aperture II in the oven SI and the hole 43 in the flange ll of the back wall l3.

Thus it will be seen that the thermostat M can be installed after it has been permanently connected to the control 28 mounted on control panel II. The manner in which this is accomplished is illustrated in Figure 4. As there shown, the bulb H is inserted through openings 230, II and 35. As soon as the free end of bulb ll has passed through oven opening 35, it can be grasped by a hand inserted through the oven door opening and pulled into the oven. After the thermostat bulb 4| is wholly within the oven, its free end is inserted in the hole 39 in the front bracket 36 and it is pulled forward to a point where the tube -42 is beneath the rear bracket.

The tube 42 is then lifted into hole 38 and the bulb I pushed rearwardly a short distance so that its rear end lies in the hole 39 in the rear bracket.

Provision is made for the insertion into the oven from the rear thereof of the electrical connections required for the usual oven heating elements, not shown. That is to say, aligned openings l1 and 48 are provided in the wall of the oven 34 and the back wall ii of the range. As will be readily apparent from Figures 3 and 4, access can be had to these openings from above the range through opening 23a.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that all .of'the electrical parts may be readily installed,

removed or repaired without dismantling the entire range and without even moving it away from a wallso as to expose the back thereof. In initially installing the electrical parts, all of the controls and associated connections are secured to-the control panel 3| before it is attached to the range. After the various connections have been inserted through opening 23a and hooked up in their operating relation with the other electrical parts, the panel Si is installed in opening Ila and detachably connected to the splash panel 23.

The scope of the invention is indicated in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination: a range having a pair of vertically spaced apart generally horizontal walls and a rear wall extending upwardly from the rear edge of the upper of said horizontal walls, one of said horizontal walls having an opening therein forwardly'of said rear wall, said rear wall having an opening therein, said walls and the openings therein being constructed and arranged with respect to each other to provide an unobstructed passageway between said openings below the upper horizontal wall to which free access is afforded from the outside of the range through at least one of said openings: a removable panel for closing the opening in the rear wall; and an electrical heating circuit assembly having one space therebelow and a rear wall extending up J wardly from the rear edge of said top wall and having an unobstructed space therebehind and therebelow, said top wall having an opening -front face of said rear .wall to removably close the opening therein; and an electrical heating circuit assembly comprising a burner element positioned above said top wall over the opening therein, a control element secured to and extending through said control panel, and a flexible connector disposed within the aforesaid passageway with one end connected to the burner element and the other end connected to the control element; said flexible connector being longer than the distance between said elements through said passageway whereby either of said elements may be moved away from the adjacent wall while said elements are connected to each other by said flexible connector. 4

3. In combination: a range having a pair of vertically spaced apart generally horizontal walls and a rear wall extending upwardly from the rear edge of the upper of said horizontal walls, the upper of said walls constituting the range top 'and the lower of said walls constituting the top element thereof disposed adjacent the opening wall of an oven, said lower wall having an opening therein forwardly of said rear wall, said rear wall having an opening therein upwardly of said upper wall, said walls and the openings therein being constructed and arranged with respect to each other to provide an unobstructed passageway between said openings below the upper horizontal wall to which free access is afforded through at least one of said openings: a control panel secured to the front face of said rear wall to removably close the opening therein; and an electrical heating circuit assembly comprising a first element positioned below said lower hurlzontal wall adjacent the opening therein, a second element secured to and extending tln-ough said control panel, and a flexible connector disposed within the aforesaid passageway with one end connected to the first element and the other end connected to the second element; said flexible connector being longer than the distance between said elements through said passageway whereby either of said elements may be moved away from the adjacent wall while said elements are connected to each other by said flexible connector.

EDWIN a. RUTENBER. 

